• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, May 8, 2008

Women shape the focus in Nintendo North America's latest campaign for Wii Fit, the fitness game scheduled to hit streets on May 19. Events, marketing and advertising will support the release.

A microsite, wiifit.com, is filled with sample videos, interactive demos, and instructional downloads on how the game works, says Eric Walter, public relations manager for Nintendo North America. "Right now, we're really focusing on women," he says. "The game is both for men and woman, but we think it will really appeal to working moms."

Moms might want to stroll through Merchant's Gate, the main entrance to Manhattan's Central Park, on launch day to relax under the shade trees and take Wii Fit for a spin. Nintendo plans a day-long event, co-sponsored with the American Heart Association.

For every person who steps onto Wii Fit, Nintendo will donate $5 to the American Heart Association--up to $25,000 total--along with a separate $25,000 to support efforts aimed at helping Americans live healthier lifestyles. Walter expects about 5,000 people to attend the event. Celebrity trainers Ashley Borden and Harley Pasternak will support the event by answering questions about fitness and demonstrating the game.

Advertising efforts, including TV and print ads, begin within the next two weeks. A flip-card type ad will line subway walls in Manhattan to give the illusion of movement for about two or three minutes as trains whiz by. Ad wraps on taxi cabs and buses are set to appear in the Big Apple, too.

Los Angelenos will see an entire side of a building dedicated to promoting Wii Fit. A billboard ad on Sunset Boulevard should appear within the next two weeks, along with ads in bus shelters throughout the United States.

Wii Fit aims to appeal to all consumers, but Walter believes women, more than men, tend to appreciate exercises based on yoga and aerobics. The game, which promotes fitness, sports a Wii Balance Board resembling an aerobics stepping board. A Body Mass Index, a standard measure of body fat based on height and weight, and other tools help to keep tabs on daily progress.

Wii Fit offers more than 40 activities and exercises with the categories aerobics, balance, strength training and yoga. Players earn fit credits that unlock additional exercises and activities within categories. Wii Fit also tracks the activities done the most and puts them into a favorites file.